USACA events labelled 'disapproved cricket' by ICC

Peter Della Penna is an American cricket journalist who also writes for ESPNcricinfo.com and DreamCricket.com. Since 2010, he has penned the USA entry in the Cricket Round the World section of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack.Follow Peter on Twitter @PeterDellaPenna

The ICC gave a stern rebuke to plans announced by USACA earlier this month to host men’s and women’s tours of a visiting “Cricket India” squad for what the expelled governing body had labeled a pair of T20 bilateral series, stating that neither event is recognized by either the ICC or the BCCI.

“Two bilateral series being planned by former ICC Member United States of America Cricket Association (USACA) would constitute unsanctioned events within the ICC’s regulatory framework,” stated an ICC press release. The announcement is noteworthy considering that the ICC has not made similar determinations on events organized by Cricket Council USA and American Cricket Federation, two other governing bodies who had been contesting national-governing-body status prior to USACA’s expulsion.

“In accordance with the ICC’s regulations on sanctioning events, no person affiliated to a National Cricket Federation is permitted to participate in any disapproved cricket. This prohibition applies to players, match officials, coaching or management staff affiliated to a National Cricket Federation or any team affiliated to a National Cricket Federation.”

The announcement for the men’s matches stated a team would be picked by a selection panel chaired by former USA player and coach Clayton Lambert, who coached USA from 2008 to 2011 until he was dismissed in favour of Robin Singh following USA’s relegation from WCL Division Three. The other members of the USACA selection panel include two men regarded as long-time allies of president Gladstone Dainty, former captain Steve Massiah and former coach Charlie Javed, as well as former USA player John Reid.

Javed was also named to the USACA women’s selection panel, headed by Dr Ahsanuddin Ali Khan, along with Shahnaz Rehmani and former USA women’s coach Linden Fraser. The women’s tour is being spearheaded by former USACA president Masood Chik Syed, another long-time ally of Dainty designated as the “USACA director of cricket operations” in the release, while former USACA tournament umpire Babu Venkatachalapathy has been appointed the USACA tournament director for both planned events.

The women’s tour had been announced to take place in April and the men’s tour in May, though exact dates were not specified by USACA in either announcement with solicitations made for interested parties to host the matches. Both announcements ostensibly are targeted at drawing players away from the USA Cricket Combines which began earlier this month in North Carolina and run through June at eight regional sites organized by the ICC Americas caretaker administration.